- This topic has 8 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 15 years, 10 months ago by SuperMotoRider.
What gear does everyone use?
-
AuthorPosts
-
June 16, 2008 at 8:50 am #1529slipknot61Participant
I was wondering what gear everyone uses for helmets, jackets and gloves? I am looking to purchase gear in the next few weeks. So If you don’t mind – please post any pros/cons to the gear you have. Any recommendations to getting a full leather jacket vs leather/mesh vs mesh?
June 16, 2008 at 9:11 am #7390smadaakramParticipantit where i get all my gear and they have really low prices. i roll with a hjc cl-15 orbit helmet, it’s d.o.t .and Snell approved and it only cost $70. i have a Moto GP Perimeter Jacket and Moto GP Pylon Gloves that cost $40 for the jacket and $30 for the gloves and the jacket has CE approved armor in the elbows and shoulders and it came with a soft foam back protector that i upgraded to a CE approved unit( it only cost like $18 for the CE pad) and the gloves are full leather gantlet style with double palm and knuckle pads. sofar i havent found any pants that fit right, mostly b/c i only have a 30″ inseam (hey look at me with stubby legs) and most riding pants are more to the tune of 34″, so for now i ware some heavy weight work jeans with knee/shin guards underneath. as for shoes i ware well over and stiff in the ankle steel toed work boots, until i can find some actual riding boots that feel right…
//@R!<
June 16, 2008 at 1:59 pm #7400canstaettParticipantThe biggest thing I would say is go somewhere and try stuff on- even if you don’t buy you’ll be better able to get the right size from the internet- the sizes seemed to run odd for me, at least what I tried on. I ended up with Joe Rocket jacket, pants (I manage the 34″ inseam with the height of my boots, although it’s not that much difference for me) and gloves. They’re the mesh/textile combination that works quite well out here in AZ. The liner keeps me from freezing to death in the morning and the mesh from melting in the afternoon. Everything ran me just over 600 bucks, but then I also ended up with a Shoei helmet because nothing else they had fit- so that’s 300 of it. But everything’s really comfy for the most part and has armor in all the appropriate places. I would say- when you;re trying on gloves, actually grab a handlebar at some point becasue mine have this annoying tendancy to bunch right at the base of my fingers- not a huge thing, but it can get to you. I have old combat boots that I wear- being ex-Army I had them lying around and didn’t want to spend more money until I was really sure about this whole thing and they work great- comfy, fairly light and they have good grip. You can usally pick some up at surplus stores for like 20-30 bucks.
June 16, 2008 at 4:16 pm #7407shagglesParticipantI have a Scorpian helmet and Tour Master Jacket and pants. Those two companies seem to be a little less expensive but still high quality. That being said I second Canstaett. You have to try stuff on. Especially the helmet.
June 16, 2008 at 8:37 pm #7422acidpopeParticipantHJC CL-SP Throttle Helmet (Tried on at the local, then had them order me the design CL-SP I prefered) $180
Cortech GX-Sport Series 1 Jacket (Tried on at the local before buying) $150
Tourmaster Gel Cruiser Gloves (Another local buy) $35Plan on picking up some Tourmaster SC Road Boots ($120~) soon. (Guess where!) I don’t care for tall boots and webBikeWorld gives them a decent review, plus I’ll be able to try them on before buying.
All of them (the stuff I already have) fit really well and are comfortable. Haven’t got my bike yet, but will soon. So I can only comment on the comfort. I did get a sound file of my helmet at around 60mph from WBW and it sounds like it will be good on noise.
June 16, 2008 at 9:09 pm #7424shagglesParticipantFor boots I really like Sidi but they are a little on the expensive side. Really comfortable though.
June 17, 2008 at 1:31 am #7401megaspazParticipantHelmet
Shoei RF-1000
pros: Comfortable… very, very comfortable. Quick release for visor swapping.
cons: Noisy. High pitched wind noise at faster than highway speeds (wear your earplugs). Ventilation really needs work. Even with a breather, the visor ends up getting fogged up until you start moving past 10 MPH. Assembly also needs work. After having this helmet for a couple of months, the mechanism for holding the visor points in place were very loose. Always check these before going out.Jackets
Dainese Santa Monica Perforated pelle (Warm/cold weather)
pros: Good ventilation, supple leather, fits great, CE rated armor, pants attachment mechanism (works with all Dainese pants). Also comes with an inside, insulated liner.
cons: pricey. Being perforated makes it great for warm weather and the detachable inside liner makes it good for cold weather, but none of these makes the jacket water proof, so It’s not going to be good for moderate rainy weather. Back protector sold seperately.Dainese Laguna Seca Perforated pelle (Warm weather)
pros: Good ventilation, supple leather, fits great, CE rated armor.
cons: pricey. No pants attachment mechanism. I get annoyed at loose zippers, so I’ll only wear this jacket now if/when I get some basic riding jeans. No insulated, inner liner, so need to dress in layers for temp changes. Also not great for rainy weather. Back protector sold seperately.Rev-it! (don’t know the model… It’s some kind of Engineered Skin ™ 4 season jacket)
pros: Great cold and rain weather jacket. Water proof. Detachable, insulated, inner liner. Comfortable textile.
cons: pricey. No pants attachment mechanism for other rev-it! pants. Despite it billed as 4 seasons, this jacket sucks for warm weather riding. Very little vent mechanisms.Pants
Dainese Drake Air
pros: Comfortable textile pants. Great ventilation. CE rated armor. Padded.
cons: pricey. Not good for cold or rainy weather.Rev-it! (don’t know the model… It’s some kind of Engineered Skin ™ 4 season pants)
pros: See the Rev-it! jacket pros.
cons: See the Rev-it! jacket cons.Boots
Dainese Torque In
pros: Great fit. Solid armor and ankle twisting protection. Pants attachment mechanism. Comfortable to wear for walking around in. Good grip with the soles.
cons: pricey. Other than that, nothing else I can think of.Sidi Way Mega (Rain)
pros: Water proof membrane. Very comfortable to wear. Good for even warm weather.
cons: Outside boots. Stretch a lot. My pair now has a lot of play and movement inside the boot. Pricey. I no longer wear these boots at all.Gloves
Dainese Racing (like the full metal racing but not using titanium for the armor)
pros: Guantlet. Supple leather, ventilated, knuckle and joints protection. Ball of the hand and wrist “knuckle” protection. Great grip.
cons: pricey (notice this trend with Dainese?). Doesn’t fit well over some leather jackets in larger sizes. It does fit great over my Santa Monica which is a 48 size. Somewhat uncomfortable scrunching on the Laguna Seca which is a size 50 – need to work the sleeves in. In rain, water will probably seep through the vented area.Things I got rid of
Fieldsheer Kinnowa (Perforated leather jacket)
pros: Good ventilation, supple leather, fits great, CE rated armor. Soft back protector included. Pants attachment mechanism for other Fieldsheer pants.
cons: Not good for cold and rainy weather. Also, moderately pricey. I got last year’s fashion for 200.00USD out the door. The jacket retails for 300.00USD. While comfortable to wear, this jacket’s generally comfortable to wear, it caused a bruise on my sternum when riding and resting my chest on the tank (which I do a lot when riding on the highway). Sold this jacket to a friend for cheaper than what I got it for after a week. Yes, there was full disclosure…Edit:
Missing information:
The Rev-It! jacket and pants have CE rated armor. – pro
The Dainese Torque In boots do squeek after time when walking. – con—
If there’s anything more important than my ego
around, I want it caught and shot now…June 17, 2008 at 6:39 am #7442slipknot61ParticipantThanks guys for all the information on your gear. It will help when I start shopping around in a few weeks.
June 19, 2008 at 6:44 pm #7529SuperMotoRiderParticipanti use alpinestars jacket and gloves;
pros: top quality leather for protection
cons: price
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.